CUNY Raising SAT Math Score Cutoff

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CUNY schools are planning to raise their SAT math scores to 510 for their top-tier schools and to 500 for the rest. Believe it or not, the current cutoff for all schools is 480. Some say the increase in standards is good for the school to improve reputability. Others argue that the new cutoffs single out a lot of minorities since the high school education system is uneven.

Currently, lots of students are coming into CUNY schools unprepared to take college-level math courses, and the college ends up teaching remedial courses like pre-algebra. That’s just SAD. It’s probably more important to focus on improving the high school education system than it is to try to get unqualified students into college.

This would all make sense IF the SAT actually measured something . . . but studies show that it doesn’t measure or assess much of anything. For instance, the College Board claims that the SAT predicts the performance of college freshman. Yet studies show that female college freshman receive higher grades in math courses than male freshman. The SAT, however, predicts male freshman will receive higher grades in freshman math classes over female freshman (males score higher on the math section of the SAT). In other words – the SAT doesn’t seem to be a good predictor of freshman performance (its stated purpose). So the SAT should be abandoned.

This would all make sense IF the SAT actually measured something . . . but studies show that it doesn’t measure or assess much of anything. For instance, the College Board claims that the SAT predicts the performance of college freshman. Yet studies show that female college freshman receive higher grades in math courses than male freshman. The SAT, however, predicts male freshman will receive higher grades in freshman math classes over female freshman (males score higher on the math section of the SAT). In other words – the SAT doesn’t seem to be a good predictor of freshman performance (its stated purpose). So the SAT should be abandoned.

Thirty years ago, I applied to an couple of Ivy league schools, even though I had only a 450 Math SAT. Despite this fact, I was admitted to one of them, and I was graduated in the top quarter of my class, something that my SAT’s would *never* have predicted. I am glad that that particular admissions committee looked at my overall application, including creative work that I submitted, and did not instead mechanically rely upon test scores and other simplistic formulas.

Thirty years ago, I applied to an couple of Ivy league schools, even though I had only a 450 Math SAT. Despite this fact, I was admitted to one of them, and I was graduated in the top quarter of my class, something that my SAT’s would *never* have predicted. I am glad that that particular admissions committee looked at my overall application, including creative work that I submitted, and did not instead mechanically rely upon test scores and other simplistic formulas.